Sounds like a topping lift to me. Sailcare.com sells a topping lift kit that uses a plastic coated SS wire line from the masthead to a block, and then regular fiber line to the boom.
http://www.sailcare.com/toppingliftkit.shtml
I think that's overkill, and a 3/16" double braid polyester line works well enough for my 192. The 222 is a bit bigger, but I don't know that the boom and mainsail are heavy enough to move to a 1/4" line. Note that I do use my topping lift for vang sheeting - the TL raises the boom to induce twist in the mainsail for lighter winds. I have led my TL forward along the boom to make it easier to adjust on other points of sail. The Sailcare kit, which is what you seem to have on your 222, keeps the adjustment out at the end of the boom, requiring you to get the boom closer to the centerline and over the cockpit in order to make any adjustments.
Towards the end of last season, I installed a Boomkicker to a friend's 222. A Boomkicker will hold up the boom for dousing sail, but also lift the boom and induce twist in light wind conditions. A Boomkicker requires a vang to flatten the sail and remove twist in higher wind conditions.
